“No kidding? What a joke! That’s terrible—saying Hillbilly too! I’ll bet Mayor Owens had a fit over that. But I guess, unless Marva confesses, aliens make as much sense as anything.” She hesitated for a moment. “Vic, one other thing.”

He looked hard at her as if he knew something bad was coming.

“I’m going to phone my father.”

She thought that would surprise him, or he’d speak against it, but he surprised her. “Take notes. Hey, I’ll clean up here. You go call him. And keep your spirits up in case he doesn’t want to talk. I tell you though, I’d give years of my life—my entire life—to talk to my girl again.”

* * *

Gabe saw Ann jump up from behind her desk when he and Jace came in with Jonas in handcuffs.

“Gabe!” she shouted. “What? What?”

“He’s agreed to answer some questions. Just call Peggy for me, get her out of bed again and tell her I need her in here on the desk.”

“But what’s the charge?”

“Ann!” Jonas said. “Get outta here and call us some fancy lawyer from Lake Azure, ’cause there’s a bunch of them there.”

“Us? Gabe...”

He took Jonas into the smaller conference room, uncuffed him and left Jace with him. He went back to Ann, took her arm and steered her toward her desk. “You said you were disappointed in me the other day for cooling off on you. But I—”

“Since Tess—”

“It’s not her fault. I’m more than disappointed in you. Now, I’d like you to sit down at your desk and write out a statement. How long and how often you’ve been tipping off Jonas or anyone else about my comings and goings. Specifically reference the warning call to Jonas to tell Hank McGuffey and the other meth cookers last night, right after I told you that’s where I was going. No wonder you didn’t tell me who owned that stuffed dog, then tried to talk me out of linking it to Jonas. Now I know why I never could break up his dogfights, let alone the drug dealers he was tipping off.”

She yanked her arm away and snatched her purse from behind her desk. “You’re a loser, you know that!” she shouted. She rushed over to the coat pegs on the far wall of the waiting area and grabbed her jacket. “You—like father, like son—couldn’t solve the biggest case this county’s ever seen, and I’ll bet the kidnapper’s right under your nose! Meanwhile, you waste your time with petty things. I am going to get a lawyer.”

He refused to shout like she did. He was hurt and furious, but she wasn’t worth his emotion, let alone his passion. He spoke calmly. “You were right under my nose, and you’ve been caught. You and Jonas both. If you don’t write out the statement right now, you can do it in a jail cell.”

“He’s an idiot to have told you anything! Excuse me—permanently—because I’m done wasting time and effort on you. Now I need to spend some of my hard-earned money to get a lawyer to protect me from something I’m not guilty of. By the way, Marva Green’s done the same thing. I took a call from her attorney this morning.” Her face puckered in a sneer; her voice was snotty. “He’ll contact you on Monday, but you’re not to see her without him present! Consider that my last duty and contribution around here!”

He snared her arm as she made for the door. “Take your hands off me!” she insisted.

Without a word, he marched her back to the holding cell, took her purse for Peggy to itemize and locked her in. He stomped back to her desk, got a pad and pen, and shoved them through the small food-tray opening at the bottom of the thick door. Through the grate, he said, “Jace will be right in to read you your rights and let you call a lawyer—unless you want to write out what I asked and leave to see a lawyer yourself.”

Gabe went over and sat at her desk. He called Peggy to come in. Later, he’d go through Ann’s records, phone log and computer thoroughly, but right now he just wanted to tell Tess one more time not to come uptown without Vic today. But her cell rang busy. After last night, maybe she needed counseling and comforting from her social-worker sister again, but he wished she’d just come to him.

* * *

Tess could not stop shaking, but she was going through with this. A man’s voice answered the phone. The past hit her like a sledgehammer. For a moment, she couldn’t say a word.

“Hello? Jack Lockwood speaking.”

Afraid he’d hang up whether she talked or didn’t, she blurted out what she wanted to say in a rush. “Dad, it’s Tess—Teresa. I know this is a surprise but I’ve wanted to talk to you for a long time. I’m in Cold Creek to sell the house after Mom died. There’s been a third kidnapping, so I just had to call you. I mean, it brought things back, and I’m trying to help Sheriff McCord—you know, Gabe’s sheriff now—but I still can’t remember who took me.”

“Teresa. My terrific, terrible Teresa! I’d heard your mother died. I’m sorry. Really, I am...for lots of things.”

She was crying now. “But who told you about her?”

“Reese Owens. The bastard calls sometimes. I think to make sure I’m still thousands of miles away. He once accused me of taking you, my own daughter. I wasn’t sure you knew any of that. I guess Kate and Char did.”

“Dad, was Reese Owens part of the reason you left, because he threatened to accuse you in public?”

“Yes. But I’d told Sheriff McCord—Gabe’s dad—that he should take a look at George Green. The guy needed money because he was going bankrupt. Your mother said he’d been around that day before she left you at home with Gabe. George was peddling corn on the cob and said you were the prettiest child of the three. I loved all of you, Teresa, but you were such a feisty tomboy. I guess I’d hoped for a son, but I’m glad I got you, since you were most like me.”

In a rush, Tess told him she’d changed her name, just to help let the past go—but it hadn’t helped. She explained the possible Dane and Marva connection for the kidnappings. He told her he’d read about the Kenton girl’s abduction. She explained that Reese Owens was trying to get her out of town fast too, though she didn’t mention what she knew about Reese’s once molesting a minor.

Instead she changed the subject and talked about her dreams of selling the farmhouse and buying a day care center; about how Kate and Char were doing well in their careers and travels. She asked him about his family. He told her he had two sons, Josh, age seven, and Jerod, just turned five. Silently, secretly, she was glad he had sons but not more daughters. “I’d like to meet them someday. It’s exciting to think I have two brothers.”

“Teresa—Tess—I’m sure your sisters are still angry with me, but tell them it wasn’t all my choice that I stayed away. A man more powerful than most folks in Cold Creek realize swore he’d make it bad for me if I came back.”

“Sheriff McCord or Reese Owens?”

“Owens, honey. I must have been his ace in the hole if the sheriff ever needed someone to blame for your abduction. Besides the mayor’s friend Dane Thompson.”

Or in case Vic or Gabe’s father suspected the mayor himself, Tess thought.

Her father went on, “Reese wanted the case solved and closed fast to get bad press away from his precious town.”

Tess couldn’t breathe for a minute. Gabe had said he intended to talk to Reese today, right after he came out of church. She looked at the time on her phone. The service would end in about ten minutes. She needed to let him know the things her dad had said. George and Marva Green might look bad right now, but Reese’s actions were suspicious for sure.

“Dad, I have to go, but can I call again?”

“I’ll call you. I’ve got your number here on caller ID. Ask your sisters if they’ll let me talk to them someday. Sorry about your losing your Mom, honey. She’s—she was—a good woman, just like you.”

The minute she hung up, she sucked in a huge breath to steady herself then dialed Gabe’s number.

“Hey, I’ve been trying to get you,” he said. “I’m walking down the street to catch Reese Owens when he—”